WHY SHOULD WE TRAP?

Because you have rats in your backyard. Every night when you close the backdoor and retreat inside, big rats wander over your lawn and eat whatever seeds, insects and birds they come across. They climb fences and trees, dive into ponds and burrow into woodpiles, devouring any protein they can find. They’ve been doing it since being introduced a couple of hundred years ago and, because of this, New Zealand has one of the worst extinction rates of any country on the planet. Click here to read Jesse Mulligan’s article on why we should trap.

“Many native birds can’t easily defend themselves against predators, and need our help to ensure their survival. You can help at home by having a trap in your garden that you check and re-set regularly. It’s really easy. They love food like peanut butter so you don’t need special bait. You just need to secure the trap in a station or cover so pets and kids can’t get into it.” – Malcolm Harrison, Senior Biosecurity Advisor at Auckland Council.

Tips

TIP 1: TRAP SMARTER, NOT HARDER

If you decide to trap, learn about ‘pulsing’. If you put your traps out for two weeks at a time only four times a year, it’s less onerous, and you will be more effective as animals don’t become trap/bait shy. It gets much better if you work in with neighbours as together you knock down the local rat population – connect with an existing community programme or start your own.

Tip 2: CLUES OR CULPRITS

Pest Detective is an online tool to help people in New Zealand identify the presence of pest animals. Search by clues or culprits – www.pestdetective.org.nz

Tip 3: YOUR BACKYARD = YOUR PESTS

You are responsible for controlling pests in your backyard… If you live on a suburban section you’ll probably only need to target rats. For heaps of info on backyard trapping, visit – www.predatorfreenz.org/backyard-trapping

5 things you can do right now!

Learn More

DEVONPORT PEST FREE? SO CAN WE!

Devonport is likely to be one of the first stopover points for birds like kaka and bellbird, travelling from pest-free islands to the mainland. Having areas of habitat, including resident’s gardens, which are safe, healthy and connected is important in creating the North-West Wildlink

WHAT IS THIS BUG?

INTRODUCED PREDATORS DON'T BELONG HERE

Introduced predators don’t belong here, but is important to remove them in a humane way that avoids or minimises pain, suffering and distress – both to target and non-target animals. Learn more about the welfare performance of animal traps.

THE BEST TRAPPING RESOURCES

Animal pests are a major threat to New Zealand’s native species, ecosystems and restoration efforts. There are links to a range of websites and publications suitable for beginners and experts looking for the best options for controlling and removing vertebrate pests.